PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,748 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Delivers 796.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 23,507).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅+9.1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.1 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,947 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Xeon W-2175

2017

Why buy it

✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,748 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Delivers 796.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $1,947 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+9.1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 23,507).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2175, which brings 14 cores / 28 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.1 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($1,947 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than Xeon W-2175?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-2175 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600 is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-2175 is the better fit. You are getting 9.1% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 28 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is $1,748 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $1,947 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.2% average FPS lead across 38 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon W-2175 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 9.1% better PassMark. It is also 796.9% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 12.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 5 5600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017) and 66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Ryzen 5 5600 Benchmark Check

Xeon W-2175 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	161 FPS	167 FPS
medium	130 FPS	147 FPS
high	112 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	139 FPS
medium	113 FPS	118 FPS
high	95 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	73 FPS
medium	69 FPS	67 FPS
high	55 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	41 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-2175

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	508 FPS	430 FPS
medium	419 FPS	380 FPS
high	351 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	298 FPS
1440p
low	447 FPS	378 FPS
medium	375 FPS	339 FPS
high	323 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	257 FPS
4K
low	313 FPS	245 FPS
medium	268 FPS	219 FPS
high	243 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	178 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-2175

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	539 FPS	588 FPS
medium	526 FPS	588 FPS
high	483 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	588 FPS
medium	434 FPS	588 FPS
high	396 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	339 FPS	567 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	511 FPS
medium	298 FPS	426 FPS
high	255 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	317 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-2175

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
1080p
low	539 FPS	588 FPS
medium	539 FPS	588 FPS
high	539 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	539 FPS	588 FPS
1440p
low	539 FPS	588 FPS
medium	539 FPS	588 FPS
high	539 FPS	588 FPS
ultra	493 FPS	557 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	588 FPS
medium	448 FPS	554 FPS
high	398 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	410 FPS

Open Ryzen 5 5600 Open Xeon W-2175

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 5 5600 and Xeon W-2175

Ryzen 5 5600

The Ryzen 5 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 21,550 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon W-2175

The Xeon W-2175 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 October 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400, DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 23,507 points. Launch price was $1,947.

⚡

Processing Power

The Ryzen 5 5600 packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon W-2175 offers 14 cores / 28 threads — the Xeon W-2175 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 versus 4.3 GHz on the Xeon W-2175 — a 2.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon W-2175 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 5600 scores 21,550 against the Xeon W-2175's 23,507 — a 8.7% lead for the Xeon W-2175. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600 vs 19.25 MB (total) on the Xeon W-2175.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	14 / 28+133%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+2%	4.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+40%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)+66%	19.25 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (2020−2025)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,550	23,507+9%
Cinebench R23 Multi	11,077	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,052	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,600	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon W-2175 uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
Socket	AM4	LGA2066
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	24	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600) / not specified (Xeon W-2175). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop.

Feature	Ryzen 5 5600	Xeon W-2175
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 5 5600 launched at $199 MSRP, while the Xeon W-2175 debuted at $1947. On MSRP ($199 vs $1947), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $1748 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers 108.3 pts/$ vs 12.1 pts/$ for the Xeon W-2175 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 159.9% better value option.